Women's Basketball: Titans Drop, 65-56, to No. 8 Thomas More

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. - The Westminster College women's basketball team lost, 65-56, to number eight nationally ranked Thomas More Wednesday night inside Buzz Ridl Gymnasium. The Titans fell 10-12 overall and 8-7 in the Presidents' Athletic Conference, while the Saints improved to 21-1 overall and 15-0 in the conference.

In the first half, Westminster had a 10-3 lead after senior Katie Hughes (Boardman, OH / Cardinal Mooney) scored on a layup with 17:07 on the clock. The Saints responded with a 12-3 run to take a 15-13 lead with 9:15 remaining in the half. Thomas More outscored Westminster 16-8 for the remaining of the half and led 31-21 at halftime.

Thomas More had its largest of the game when it led 43-23 with 16 minutes remaining in regulation. The Titans battled back and cut the Saints' lead to 46-40 after a 17-3 run which was capped off with a three-pointer from sophomore Jenna Grandy (Sharpsville, PA / Sharpsville) with 9:20 on the clock. Junior Hannah Shaffer (Apollo, PA / Apollo-Ridge) earned the assist.

For the game, Westminster outshot Thomas More 37.5% (18-for-48) to 36.9% (24-for-65) and had a slight rebound advantage (40-39). The Saints caused 27 turnovers, while the Titans caused 16.

Westminster senior Jenn Cantella (Freedom, PA / Freedom) scored a game-high 18 points, including a game-high four three-pointers which all came in the first half. Junior Gabby Holko (Pittsburgh, PA / Mount Alvernia) followed with 15 points. Rounding out the double-digit scorers for the Titans was Hughes with 10 points. Senior Andi Ridge (North Tonawanda, NY / Starpoint) led on the glass with seven rebounds.

Katie Kitchen led the Saints with 13 points. Moriah Corey earned a double-double with 12 points and a game-high 12 rebounds.

Westminster will play its final home regular season game Saturday when it hosts Waynesburg at 2 p.m.

About Westminster College...Founded in 1852 and related to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Westminster College ranks first in the nation as "Best College for Women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math," according to Forbes.com. Westminster is a top-tier liberal arts college and a national leader in graduation rate performance, according to U.S. News Best Colleges guide. Westminster is also honored as one of "The Best 377 Colleges" by The Princeton Review, and is named to the President's Honor Roll for excellence in service learning.

Nearly 1,600 undergraduate and graduate students benefit from individualized attention from dedicated faculty while choosing from 41 majors and nearly 100 organizations on the New Wilmington, Pa., campus. Visit www.westminster.edu/advantage to view "Advantage: Westminster" A Strategic Plan 2010-2020.